Friday, October 3, 2008

Hello. This is Evan again. Juliet asked me to do a blog posting today about potatoes versus sweet potatoes. Although I'm not a nutritionist, I wanted to tell you what I know about the topic -- so, here goes...

Although potatoes have a reputation for being unhealthy and high in carbs, they may be better for you than you think. As long as you don't fry them in oil or add a bunch of butter or cream, one whole medium 6 oz potato is only 160 calories (2 weight watcher points). Potatoes are low in sugar, but high in complex carbs that are released more slowly into the bloodstream. They also contain significant amounts of protein and fiber, and are rich in many important minerals such as iron and potassium.

Sweet potatoes are also a very healthy choice. Sweet potatoes are higher in sugar than regular potatoes, but also slightly higher in fiber and the same number of calories overall. Like potatoes, they are high in minerals, but they are also high in a number of healthy antioxidants including vitamins A, C, E, and B (folic acid) and the mineral zinc. In fact, it's the beta carotene (vitamin A) that gives sweet potatoes their orange color, so the darker the potato, the higher the vitamin content.

An extremely common food made out of potatoes is french fries. Juliet did a posting a while ago about baking frozen potatoes from the supermarket (instead of frying) to make baked lower calorie french fries. The same approach can be used with sweet potatoes (they make rich, delicious fries) which can be purchased pre-cut at some stores (like whole foods) in the frozen food aisle.

7 comments:

Emily
said...

I think any fruit or vegetable has it's place in the diet! It's what people top them with that turns them into unhealthy options. Like full fat butter, sour cream, bacon... making potato salad with a ton of mayo. It just breaks my heart to see a perfectly good potato go to waste. I love cutting them up and baking fries in the oven. The only thing I use is nonstick spray and salt-free seasoning. :)

I just did an experiment to see which i like better... sweet potatoes or yams. i'm so confused about them that i have i have no idea which one i like better! i know for certain that i love baked potatoes drenched in ketchup, though haha and you can NEVER go wrong with fries... well, except if you get them at McDonald's

About Yummy Diet Food

Hello. My name is Juliet and I live in the Bay Area. I love food! I am also both weight and health conscious, and I don't like to eat foods full of unhealthy ingredients (especially the ones targeted at dieters these days). So, I created Yummy Diet Food for people like me who are looking for low calorie foods that are both healthy and delicious (meaning *no* artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup or sugar alcohols). Learn More >

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About Me

Hello. My name is Juliet. I live in Northern California, the Bay Area. I love food! But, I am health conscious and I try to follow the Weight Watchers plan while simultaneously eating really healthy, yummy, "better-for-me" low calorie foods!

By the way -- healthy to me means: (1) No High Fructose Corn Syrup (2) No Hydrogenated Oils (3) No Artificial Sweeteners, and (4) No Sugar Alcohols. Learn More....

Lastly, I don't eat a lot of meat, so this is a vegetarian friendly blog.